Supporter.



A. QUENZER.

SUPPORTER. APPLICATION FILED N0v.12. 1909.

Patented Feh 15, 19N.

auen/fo@ asuma-row D c ARTHUR QUENZER, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Application filed November 12, 1909. Serial No. 527,638.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR QUENZER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Supporters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to supporters which may be readily applied to aninjured member of the body as the wrist or limb.

The object of this invention is to provide a supporting device whichwill act as a yielding support or will hold a bandage upon the injuredmember, adording a sufficient support without undue pressure and willpartake of the movements of the member.

A further object is to provide a fastening means which may be adjustedto dierent sizes and at the same time to protect the member from anyabrasion or injury from the fastening device.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lillustrates a plan view of a preferred form of my supporter, Fig. 2 is aplan view of my supporter similar to Fig. l, but showing a slightmodification of the fastening devices; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sidesectional view on the line az-m of Fig. 1; Fig. t is a plan view of mysupporter, showing the method of fastening the device upon a part of thebody to which it may be applied; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of thesupporter as illustrated in Fig. Lt.

Referring now' to the figures by numerals of reference, l designates astrip of material of elastic or other suitable material forming the bodyof the supporter and having at each end supporting` members 2 and 3,respectively, which members, comprising layers 2 and 3, `may beconstructed of leather or any suitable material which will adequatelyanswer the purpose of forming a rigid support for the intermediate stripof fabric l. To give the end-supporting members 2 and 3 more rigidityand to prevent them from buckling under straining conditions or from anycause, I may insert reinforcing memberse and 5, which are preferablyresilient., such as flat strips of steel. These reinforcing strips ormembers are securely sewn or otherwise embedded within and between thelayers 2 and 3 of members 2 and 3. The reinforcing member 5 is providedwith a stud or studs 6, the number depending upon the number offastening means used. One of the end-supporting strips 2 is providednear or about the central portion thereof with an aperture or apertures7 adapted to receive the strap or straps 9, as hereinafter explained.The straps or tongues 9 are formed by a continuation of one of thelayers 3 of the end supporting member 3, the number of tongues 9employed depending upon the number of openings or apertures 7 in thesaid end supporting member 2, through which the said tongues 9 pass whenthe supporter is ap plied to a part of the'body. rIhe tongues 9 areprovided with a suitable number of holes I0 to allow of the gradualtightening or releasing of the band when applied to a part of the body.

The supporter may be applied to that part of the body affected in thefollowing manner: The supporter, taken as a whole is placed around themember affected, so that the edges of the end supporting members 2 and 3are brought as nearly together as the circumference of that part of thebody treated will allow, the tongue 9, forming a part of theend-supporting strip or member 8, being passed through the opening oraperture 7 of the end-supporting member 2 from the -under side, the saidtongue thereupon being brought across a portion of the saidend-supporting member 2 to allow of an aperture l0 to register with astud 6, thus securely fastening the part-s in position. Further, toallow for variations in the circumference of an arm, leg, wrist, orother part of the body to which my supporter may be applied, there are aplurality of holes 10 in the tongues 9, which will permit of adjustmentin the circumference of the supporter.

The fastening means shown herein as applied to my device is especiallyuseful in my form of supporter, by reason of the fact that the meetingor approaching edges Il, 11, of the end-supporting members will beprevented from coming into contact with the skin to thereby pinch,irritate or fracture the same where the device is in constant use. Forthis purpose, I construct the tongue 9 integral with. the lower layer3', the walls converging from,the end-supporting member and taperingtoward and eventually forming the tongue 9, the said converging portions8 forming a span or shield across the abutting or contacting members of-theend-supporting members 2 and 3 when in position. As shown by Fig. 2where a plurality of tongues 9 are employed, the shield is formed inpractically the same manner as the aforementioned, except that the pieceof material from which the tongue is cut converges from the body of thesupporter to form a plurality of spaced tongues.

Obviously, various alterations in the size, 'proportional dimensions,and materials from which the supporter is constructed may be resortedt0, within the scope of the invention, and Without departing from thespirit thereof.

Having Vthus described my invention, what VI claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent, is

1. A supporter adapted to Vencircle a member of the body comprising aband or strip of elastic fabric, end-supporting members secured to saidfabric having resilient reinforcing devices, fastening meansconstituting'a prolongation of one end-supporting member, the othermember being provided with an aperture to receive said prolongation,whereby the same may pass under the joint formed by the meeting edges ofthe end-supporting' members.

2. A supporter of the class set forth, comprising reinforcedend-supporting members and an intermediate unobstructed strip of fabric,and fastening means for the supporter, comprising an aperture in one ofthe end-supporting members, a tongue member `carried by the other of theend-supporting members adapted to pass through the said aperture, 4and astud carried by the reinforcing portion of the last-named reinforcingmember, adapted to detachably and adjustably :connect the end-supportingmembers.

8. A supporter'o'f the class set forth, comprising end-supportingmembers, one of the end-supporting` members having therein an apertureat the rear portion thereof, the other of said end-supporting membersbeing provided with a stud extending therethrough, a tongue membervforming a part of Vthe last named end-supporting member and adapted topass through the aperture lin the iirst said end-supporting member7 forreturn toward the second named end-supporting member, and provided withholes to register with the said stud.

4. In a supporter of the class described, a strip -of elastic material,end-supporting strips for the said elastic material, reinforcing medialocated within each of the said end-supporting strips, one of the saidendsupporting strips havingy an aperture in the 'rear ofthe saidreinforcing strip, the media comprising a reinforcing means of the otherend-supporting strip rbel-ng provided with `a stud, a tonguememberforming a part of the last said .end-supporting member adapted to passthrough the said aperture and engage the 'said stud.

5. A supporter adapted to conform lto Vthe contour yof theirregularities ofthe part to which it. is applied, comprising a bodyportion of fabric, end-supports secured thereto, reinforcing media forthe said lendsu1i ports, one of said end-supports `havingan aperturelocated in proximity to its reinforcing strip,

the other of said Aend-supports having the reinforcing means providedwith a stud or projection, a tongue member forminga portion of thelast-named `end-support for passage through the said aperture forsubse-` quent engagement with Asaid stud, said tongue formedby'convergent walls from the point of leaving the body -of thesupporter.

6. In a device'ef theclass-set forth, -a strip of elastic materialhaving end-supporting? portions, provided with layers of stiifeningmaterial, one of said end-supporting portions having an yaperturelocated in the rear thereof, the other comprising with one of thelayers, -a contlnuation forming a tongue,

the ylayers comprising the last-named :end-

supporting member having embedded there- -between a reinforcing meansJrovided with a stud or projection extending through one of the saidlayers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR QUENZER. Witnesses A. D. LEVY, G. C. MARSH.

